peanut butter

PB & J Tres Leches Trifle

April 29, 2013 | 17 Comments

Hey, hey, hey, you’re in the right place today!

And you will be when you stop by tomorrow and the next day, and the next…

because it’s What You’ll Be Eating On Cinco de Mayo Week on SB! With recommendations a go-go for you and your Cinco spread!

Today, since my sweet tooth has been overdrive lately, we’re starting out with the sweet, sweet end of your meal: a festive Peanut Butter & Jelly Tres Leches Trifle, rumor of which will get your fiesta started, and reality of which will shut your fiesta down in the very best way possible.

Filed Under: Cakes & Cupcakes Tagged With: buttermilk, evaporated milk, pb & j, peanut butter, recipe, strawberry preserves, sweet, sweetened condensed milk, tres leches cake, trifle, whipped cream, whole milk

My Monster Cookies

October 31, 2012 | 11 Comments

I was working in the kitchen late one night

When my eyes beheld a tasty sight

For my Monster Cookies in the oven began to rise

And suddenly to my surprise

From the desert here in the great Southwest

To the Atlantic Coast where the big waves crest

Everyone came to take a lookie

At my very own version of the Monster Cookie

Filed Under: Cookies Tagged With: banana chips, brown sugar, butter, eggs, Mexican chocolate, Monster Cookies, peanut butter, recipe, sweet, yogurt-covered raisins

Prickly Pear Bread Pudding

October 17, 2012 | 17 Comments

This is the story of a sweet little loaf of Peanut Butter & Prickly Pear Pull-Apart Bread Pudding. Told through pictures!

Pictures that show the sweet beginning.
Pictures that show the sweet middle.
Pictures that show the sweet ending.
And pictures that show you why this simple bread pudding should make its way to your dessert table as soon as possible.

Let’s get started…

Filed Under: Curds, Custards & Puddings Tagged With: bread pudding, eggs, heavy cream, milk, peanut butter, prickly pear jelly, recipe, sugar, sweet, white bread loaf

Let’s Talk After-School Snacks

September 20, 2012 | 19 Comments

I remember after-school snacks as an affair of epic importance. And let’s face it, even though you’re not in school anymore, snacks in general are still a monumental thing, don’t you think?

You need fuel. You need excitement. You need a break from the monotony.

Pop Quiz: Do you really want to waste your snacking time on something you just got out of a vending machine?

I’m not going to grade you on a curve here, people. The obvious answer is ‘NO’.

Another thing of importance is foods that are super cute, aesthetically pleasing, and/or otherwise easy on the eyes. Lately I’ve been particularly enamored of tiny foods. Foods that you could pop into your pocket just before you have a chance to pop them into your mouth.

Enter the sweet mini pepper.

Seriously, if you don’t think that these sweet mini peppers are cute enough to dress up in rompers and take down to the park to play, I just don’t know what’s what in your neighborhood.

And the thing that’s really great about these sweet peppers, other than their extreme cuteness, is that they’re a fantastic addition to both savory and sweet dishes.

Which is how they found their way into some smoky Roasted Sweet Mini Pepper Salsa, some cute as a button Sweet Mini Pepper Quesaditas, and some adorable Peanut Butter-Stuffed Sweet Mini Peppers.

An After-School Snack Spread for the ages!

Filed Under: Snacks & Starters Tagged With: cheese, onion, peanut butter, quesadilla, quesadita, raisin, recipe, salsa, savory, sweet, sweet mini pepper, Wilson Produce

Junk Drawer Ice Cream

July 23, 2012 | 26 Comments

I can never remember not having a junk drawer in my life – double negative aside, it’s true. We moved around a few times when I was young, but there was always a junk drawer on the premises. And now that I operate my own premises, I insist on curating my very own junk drawer.

The thing about junk drawers is that they are commonly known to contain, well, junk (duh). But I learned early on that they’re actually a veritable gold mine of available castoffs just waiting for one to claim as their own.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: cajeta, chocolate, egg yolks, heavy whipping cream, ice cream machine, peanut butter, pecan, recipe, salt, sugar, sweet, whole milk

Quad Peanut Comfort Cookies

April 20, 2012 | 21 Comments

I always wonder what makes other people crave comfort.

A friend forgetting to call?
Cold weather outside?
Or maybe the aftershock of a particularly scary movie?

I’m also curious about how people answer that call.

Do you exercise?
Do you pet your doggie?
Do you go shoe shopping?
Do you spend 5.27 hours on your couch, plowing your way through three jars of crunchy peanut butter and 11 consecutive episodes of Ice Road Truckers with only a spoon and your remote control to keep you company?

Silly goose! No one actually does that! Uh, right.

Peanut butter is my go-to comfort tool of choice.

I’m sure there’s some Freudian reason -fond memories of PB & J brown bag lunches gone by or some such thing- but nothing calms me down like a spoonful of peanut butter.

And since I figure there are a lot of worse things to crave, I’m just going to go with it.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: butter, cookies, eggs, flour, peanut butter, peanuts, recipe, Reese's chips, Reese's Pieces, sweet

Mezcal Cupcakes & A Love Story

October 18, 2011 | 51 Comments

Once upon a time (ye olde 1990′s), in a land far, far away (Boston), there lived a Girl.

This Girl was in school, getting into life, rocking floral prairie dresses and combat boots to class (whatever – it was a phase).

At the same time, in the same place, there lived a Boy.

This Boy was also in school, getting into life, rocking a mullet to class (whatever – it was a phase.).

The first day of class rolled around and Girl showed up in style, red prairie dress flowing, combat boots polished. Boy was already seated in the back row, mulleted locks glistening.

What was this? The desk next to Boy was available. Girl took it. Cue the shy conversation and sidelong glances.